Loews Don CeSar Hotel Review in St. Pete Beach, FL

My husband and I have been traveling to the St. Pete area almost every year for the last 7 years!  We even got engaged there!  Needless to say, we love it, and it we've made many of memories there over the years.  On each and every trip, we have noticed and admired the Don CeSar hotel from afar.  It's a HUGE pink hotel that you catch a glimpse of as soon as you drive over the hill onto Gulf Blvd.  It's definitely very well known in that region of Florida.  On our recent trip, we were lucky to get the opportunity to stay there for an extended weekend!  Here are my thoughts of the "Pink Palace."


Exterior/Grounds:  First off...let's start with the exterior of the hotel.  Absolutely stunning.  This hotel, I learned, was built in the 1920s/Great Gatsby era.  It has such beautiful  architectural features and  just looks really grand from the outside.  The hotel looks amazing both day and night.

Photo from Hotels.com


The Pool:  The pool area is a bit tight on space, but it's also very nice.  Luckily, it was not very crowded the days we were there and Evie really enjoyed swimming in the pool with us.  The hotel actually has TWO pools with a fun bar area in the center.  Definitely a really well thought out layout for both kids and adults to enjoy!  

Photo from Hotels.com

The Beach:  The beach at the Don CeSar is also spectacular. White sand, blue water...what more can you ask for??  I also believe the beach is private/for Don CeSar guests only, which is great.  Extra perk - it's just a short walk from the pool area!


Beach Rentals:  On both days, we rented a daybed on the beach.  SO WORTH IT if you have kids.  One of the days it was a little windy so the cabana shielded us from some of that and on the next day it was super hot, so it was perfect for all of us to get some shade.  Not to mention, they are super relaxing.  They are a little pricey, but hey...you're on vacation, right?! :)

Photo from Hotels.com

Rooms:  Our room at the Don was one of their luxury 2 bedroom partial ocean view rooms.  The "partial" view was actually a bit ridiculous.  Our view was really of the side parking lot.  If you leaned your head far enough you could catch a glimpse of the ocean.  But, I guess that's what "partial" means.  The room itself was very nice though.  The cleaning staff sprays some kind of perfume in the rooms when they clean for new guests that seemed a little strong for my liking, but it's not awful or anything and the rooms definitely feel very luxurious and comfortable.  In fact, the beds were SUPER comfortable.  While the room is a tad on the small side, it was enough for our little family of four to have enough room to unpack and get settled.  What I really liked were some of the "small" things they offer their guests:  a Keurig in every room to make your own coffee, a really nice hair dryer (not the kind that is affixed to most hotel bathroom walls,) an alarm clock with built in iPhone charger, and plenty of pillows.  I notice these things. :)  I also really liked that they had a mirror/counter area separate from the bathroom.    


The Service:  Overall, I thought the service was good, but not amazing.  The check-in staff was great - they saw I had a baby and needed a place to store milk and gave me a complimentary refrigerator and microwave for our room.  They also had someone take our luggage to our room for us, which was nice.  I was not impressed though with the door people.  They seemed over-tired and irritated half the time.  Also, on our second day on the beach, the service staff seemed to be MIA.

The Food:  We only ate from the Beachcomber Grille at the hotel (we had it delivered to us on the beach both days) and the food and drinks were both very good.  I have read very positive reviews about their fancy restaurant on site as well.

Well there's my review!  If you are ever staying in the area, I have lots of recommendations for you.  Feel free to email me at lovemyevieblog@gmail.com and I'm happy to share ! :)
       

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